The Slave Knight Part 1: The Dagon

Chapter Twenty-Six: The Beast of the Bost

The preparations were done. The plannings were finalized and the fuhries, the slave knights, and Durug had naught to do, but wait in anxious anticipation for their plan to unfold. They were to wait until early morning, where the draugr had less purpose and acted without design or direction. Would they fight? Joa assured them yes. Would they be just as coordinated? Joa assured them no. Her belief was that they will be more complicit, yet if threatened they would certainly attack. The idea was to sneak by, to find the highways and the lowways through. To get through the small cracks and crevices of the draugr and come out the other side relatively unscathed.

Relatively, being the operative word.

Joa knew that some sacrifices would have to be made.

Hopefully the likes of Ames and Mika, she thought furiously, yet she knew that in truth that was unlikely. She dashed away the thought as she needed to be that much more focused on the likes of their plan than ever before. The night was waning and she knew that the morning would come upon them quickly. At that she would sound the alarm to leave. A silent alarm at that, the whistle of the whippoorwill, which every fuhrie knew so well, and would use to signal their exit.

She sat at the very ramparts where she was assaulted and threatened by Ames and Mika a day past, but her thoughts were far away. Her thoughts were closer toward her father and how he fared. What he thought of the likes of his own daughter rebelling against him. What he thought of his daughter running away with a man that she knew was better off for her, and with.

He probably would not agree, but would understand the compulsion. He would be fine, but also know that I have abdicated my duties as princess to the throne. She rolled her eyes at the thought. She knew she did not choose this life, and that others had chosen it for her. That she could be used and abused as a political and social pawn. That she was no longer her own, but owned by all else. A common theme in her talks with her father, as he tried to convince her (or force her,if you were more towards the thinking of Joa) that marrying the prince of the light elves was the right thing to do.

"It will unify our people! It will create inroads. It will create a long lasting and fair relationship! The spies within have told me that King Eloiine is much in favor of reconciliation and forgetting the past. More than ever before, and we would be fools not to take a chance at such a thing. Should I just squander such an opportunity and be known as 'The King who Never Tried!?'" King Malen had been screaming at her at that point. It was a sad sight to see, as Princess Meluin, or Joa as all else knew her, was crying by then, uncaring to respond. King Malen softened his voice, making it low and as loving as ever. "It is the best chance for us dear. The only chance to do what we must for our peoples." She hated that he did not consider her and what she wanted. She spat back venomously.
"So you just sell off my cunt without consulting me first!?" King Malen was ashamed at the vulgarities that she used. He could not stomach such language from his daughter. Such ire. His cheeks grew a dark burgundy, hot in anger, and he turned away from her abruptly. King Malen knew that by now he had surely lost her, and there was no going back. She would not listen to him, no matter what reason he could fashion. No matter how rational his arguments were, she would deny him and he would be forced to do what he would rather not.

"Do not make me command it, daughter," He had not called her 'daughter' out of anger in ages. Now he was more than angry at her for her impudence. "Do not make me force the issue! I ask you, as my daughter, the Princess of the fucking dark elves, to follow me for the greater good! The greatest good there is."

"And what is that!?" King Malen did not know what that was and could not answer. She knew he would not answer how she wanted, that is, claiming her as the greatest good, but part of her knew that was neither reasonable nor practical for him to do. She rolled her eyes and turned away herself, trying to gather the resolve to leave then and their. She could not and wanted the last word. "Command it. Force it father. It will be like it was when I was a near babe of one hundred years old. I will not listen. I will do as I please. I will abscond away and you will not find me until I allow it. Then when I deign to return, you will be dead and your ideas of unification would be just a fae story. Such ideas would pass onto the next whelp who cares to have their daughter's cunt sold for alliances."